Question: Does Hospital Work Suck?

Ever since I enroll in the world of pharmacy, I've been hearing so many things which are most likely not so good to hear. I've been questioning myself am I choosing the right carrier? is there any future in pharmacy field? how much further can I go after this? since I'm interested in working in hospital, I've become more worried as I learn the relationship between pharmacist and physician is not so good. so I've been thinking more and more and it bothers me actually. and one day I asked a pharmacist who is also a blogger this question:

Amal:

hi mark, i'm pharmacy student in a local university. after reading your blog,i feel like i have to reconsider my future planning since i have decided to work in hospital. is it really that bad? what would you suggest?

and this is his answer:

"Dear Amal (the commenter),

Yes, working in a hospital is hard and it's challenging. But is it bad? I don't think so. However, I do believe that working in a hospital means that you're going to have to constantly prove to other medical professionals ( I actually mean doctors here) that you are worth your paycheck and that you know your stuff. This is especially so if you intend to work in the wards where till today, other medical professionals still question our presence there and question the extent of our contributions. You will not have the luxury of faith and trust initially resulting in you having to print out several journals just to prove that you are right. You won't have the luxury of making a mistake as it will shatter your professional image. Lastly, you will have to prove that you actually do bring something useful to the healthcare team effort that's unique to your profession.

If you're not bothered to go through all that or if the thought of having your actions questioned and scrutinized all the time, then YES, working in the hospital in a clinical position sucks ass. But if you're up for a challenge, have a real need to prove you're better than the rest, desire to develop yourself professionally and sincerely believe 100% that the patient will be much better off with your contribution, then you will find that working in this position is the best thing in the world (perhaps second only to good Scottish whiskey). We are in dire need of pharmacists who can hold their own ground and raise the profile of our profession through deeds and not mere words.

I would suggest that you do a thorough search on the different fields of pharmacy, study them, speak to people that are in those positions and consider your own ambitions. Do look into possibilities such as working with the enforcement unit, with the National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau and with institutions like the Clinical Research Centre and the Institute of Medical Research.

The catch however, is this:

You never really know how much you like or hate a job if you've never actually done it.

As a conclusion, I'd say take advantage of the Internet and search for all the information you need. It's never to early to make a plan about what you might be interested in especially since pharmacists have the whole world open to them."

and so he said...

well, it takes time actually to choose and make decision. What always goes in my mind is that you should try your best in whatever field you are. hopefully this will calm my heart even for a while..